Dutch gov’t working on stricter patent rules to prevent copies from China: report

The caretaker Dutch government wants to significantly amend the Patent Act to better protect the value of Dutch innovations and prevent abuse from countries like China, sources close to the government told the Telegraaf. In the future, the government wants the Patent Office to review all patent applications before granting a patent.

Currently, people can apply for all kinds of patents without review. In theory, you can register that you have reinvented the wheel and be entered into the database.

According to the newspaper’s sources, companies from countries like China regularly register unsubstantiated innovations as patents. This affects truly innovative entrepreneurs because the flood of patents makes their ideas less valuable. It also affects legal certainty for their inventions.

Karremans believes that he can put an end to this by making the Netherlands Patent Office review every request for a patent, checking it against existing patents, among other things. He also plans to abolish several patent regulations to reduce the regulatory burden.